It has been 3 months since we've heard anything from Jacob. Renesmee is getting accustomed to life without him, but her stuffed wolf never leaves her side. Renesmee and Alyssa both begged Edward and I not to move until the end of the school year. Neither one of us found a problem with it, so we were here for 8 more months. I sighed loudly, mostly in frustration, but frustrated at myself. It was a normal cool day for October. I sat on the front step as I always did around this time of day. Renesmee and Alyssa were still in school. The high school let out an hour ago, so I sat waiting for the time when I had to go pick up the girls from Emily's. I made it look like I was waiting to go pick them up, but I wasn't fooling anyone. They all knew I was waiting to see if Jacob showed up.
"He's fine." Esme said. She walked down the stairs to sit next to me.
"No he's not. He's hurt, and I was the one who hurt him, again." Esme put her arms around me, and pulled me into her chest.
"Stop being so hard on yourself. You have to do what's right for your family. A lot has happened the past few years, and you never got a chance to be a family. Renesmee is growing up. You and Edward need to raise her the way you want. She's half human, and that part of her is already adjusting to life without him. Her heart will heal, and in time, if they're meant to be he'll come back for her."
"You know, when Edward," I swallowed hard, "left he thought the same thing. I was human, my heart will heal in time. Esme, it never did. I never got over him. Even when things between Jacob and I were becoming more serious, I always had a gaping whole that burned for Edward."
"Everyone is different, honey, Renesmee is nothing but a child. She doesn't understand the difference between love she has for her family, and falling in love. Right now her love for Jacob is pure innocence, she loves him like she loves any of us. As long as you feel that your doing the right thing, well then, don't let anyone stand in your way." Esme kissed my temple and I wrapped my arms around her waist.
"Thanks, mom." I whispered.
I felt her smile against my hair. "Your more than welcome my dear. Now smile will you? We've all missed it, and I know Edward has missed it the most." I couldn't help but smile at her. She pinched my cheek. "That's much better." Esme got up and walked back inside.
"Esme." I called after her. She turned to look back at me.
"You think we're doing the right thing?"
"I will stand by any one of my kids, as long as you believe your doing the right thing. If you do, well then, so do I. I'm sad you 3 are going to be leaving, but you'll be back in no time. The others are just upset because all you kids are so close that it's hard on the rest when one leaves. This time it's 3 of you leaving, so understand their anger is coming from a broken heart sort of speak." Esme winked and turned to walk inside.
I waited a few minutes until I stood to walk inside behind her. "Someone's in a better mood." Jasper smiled as he watched me walk into the living room.
"Esme got to her." Edward sounded relieved.
"That will do it." Rosalie smiled as Esme walked up behind her and kissed the top of her hair.
"Alice want to come with me to go get the girls?" I asked her. She has barely talked to me the passed few months, and it was killing me.
"No, Rose and I are going hunting." She gave her best smile. I looked over at Rosalie. She nodded telling me they really were going.
"Fine." I sighed and grabbed my car keys before heading down to the garage.
"Want me to go with you?" Emmett offered.
"No, need time alone. Thanks thought." I huffed and closed the door behind me.
"Edward let her be." I heard Esme tell him.
"Someone needs to go with her." Edward argued.
"No, she will be fine. Give her some space." I thanked Esme silently when I heard Edward sit back down on the couch.
"Hey Bells!" Emily greeted me happily. This made me smile.
"Hi Em. Where are the girls, and Jayden?" I asked when I realized the house was too quiet.
"Jayden is sleeping upstairs, so I sent the girls outside with Leah and Seth. They're in the backyard, or they should be."
"I didn't hear them when I came in." I turned to open the door and call for Seth and Leah, but the door swung open before I could reach it.
"Aunt Bella!" Alyssa skipped through the front door and wrapped her arms around me.
"How was school?" I asked her.
"Fine. Tomorrow we're having a Halloween party! We get to dress up."
"Yeah! Can we go shopping for costumes?" Renesmee asked when she walked through the front door with Leah and Seth behind her.
"I don't see why not. Lets get home and feed you ladies dinner and you can go get costumes." Both girls cheered, and raced to get their book bags.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Kiss the little guy for me." I hugged Emily.
"Will do. Bye girls!" Emily called after them as they ran out the door.
"Bye Emily! Thank you!" They both called back at the same time.
"Anything?" I asked as I passed Leah and Seth.
"Not since he asked me how things were back here, but he didn't tell me where he was, and I couldn't recognize it." Leah answered.
"We'll get him home." Seth nudged my arm. I was glad they weren't mad at me anymore. Leah wouldn't talk to me for a while since I was the one that made him run off again.
After dinner Esme and Carlisle had decided to take Alyssa and Renesmee out shopping. "What are you going to be?" Edward asked as Renesmee kissed him goodbye.
She shrugged, "I don't know yet."
"I want to be a princess." Alyssa said. She was in Emmett's arms and he smiled at her.
"Mom talk to you?" He laughed.
"I just got off the phone with her, why?" Alyssa asked.
"What did she say?"
"That I can be anything as long as it's pretty, frilly, and pink." All of us laughed.
"What can I be?" Renesmee asked when she walked over to hug me goodbye.
"Anything you want. Just nothing too scary. You have to wear it to school." I told her.
"Hmm…" Renesmee tapped her chin as she thought. "I want to be a werewolf!" She shrieked. "Just like Jakey."
"That's too scary for the kids at school."
"Their not scary."
"Not to you or any of us, but to other people they are." She didn't argue with me, which I was relieved. The 4 of them left, and Edward and I went to go hunting.
"You seem to be in a better mood. Esme must have really gotten to you." Edward said as he kicked his prey to the side.
"Yeah, she did." I wiped my mouth clean.
"As long as your happy, that's all I care about." He said, and I walked up to Edward and kissed him. "I take that as your very happy." I kissed him again, and Edward chuckled.
We made our way back to the house since Esme and Carlisle should be returning soon.
As soon as we walked into the house everyone was laughing. "What's so funny?" I asked, looking around the room. I turned to see Edward laughing behind me. "What?"
Edward just pointed towards the stairs. Alyssa walked down first in a beautiful pink and silver sparkled princess dress. Her hair was still in her messy ponytail, but she was just modeling her costume. Her tiara was on her head, I could tell easily that it was real, but she obviously didn't know. This costume wasn't funny, but I shrugged it off. My daughter was yet to show us her costume, which must be the funny one. Leave it to Renesmee to be the odd one out. As she walked down the stairs I mentally took back the last part I had just thought. Renesmee wore black shirt and pants with a red and black cape, and her grin showed glow in the dark vampire teeth.
"A vampire, my half vampire daughter is a vampire for Halloween?" I smiled and rolled my eyes.
"Yes," Renesmee pulled out her teeth, "yes because it's cool! Do people really think vampires look like this?" Renesmee put back in the teeth and held up her hands as she growled.
"People don't think we exist, but in stories, yes this is what they think we look like." Edward answered her.
"Crazy people! They have no idea!" Renesmee laughed.
"No they don't." Edward laughed.
"That's smart. Ness is flaunting her secret, and no one will know. Clever, kid." Emmett slapped her a high five.
"Thanks!" Renesmee smirked and spun around making her cape flare out behind her.
"Come here little girl! I want to suck your blood!" Renesmee ran after Alyssa. Alyssa screamed and laughed as she was chased around the room. All of us a little on edge from Renesmee's words. It was too weird hearing her threaten to suck a humans blood. We all knew they were only playing, so we left them alone. Edward and Emmett followed to make sure she wasn't going to 'pretend' to bite Alyssa. Since Renesmee's teeth were strong enough to break skin with the littlest bite.
The next morning the girls came down the stairs in their costumes. Rosalie had let Alyssa put some makeup on to make her costume stand out more. She really did look like a princess. As for Renesmee, she begged me to put some fake blood running down the corners of her mouth. I let her have it, and put white face paint all over her face to make her look paler. I took red lipstick from Rosalie and put some on Renesmee. "There. All done." I turned to towards the mirror and she squealed with delight.
"I love it! I look freaky! I'm a full vampire!"
"Well your dressed as a stereotyped vampire." I reminded her. I didn't want her to get the wrong impression on who she really is.
"I know, but for one day people will call me a vampire! No human, no half vampire, I'm just a vampire." At this point I knew she was keeping something serious from everyone, Edward was the only one who knew exactly what was going through her mind. I decided to talk to him later about it.
"You dressing up today?" Edward asked as he walked in with painted on gaping cuts and his face even paler.
"Er… honey, you have something wrong with your face." I poked at the fake blood oozing from a cut.
"I know isn't it great! Emmett helped me with it. I'm a dead man walking!" Edward threw his head back laughing.
"I have never seen any of you act like this on Halloween."
"Ness started it." Edward pointed to her and knelt down in front of her.
"Like it?" She asked him.
"You look great! Good job Bella. I like the blood."
Renesmee held up her hands and growled at Edward. He stumbled backwards pretending to be scared. She leaped into his arms, knocking him on his back. She hissed, Edward laughed, but it was supposed to be a shriek. Renesmee shoved her vampire teeth in her mouth and bit Edwards neck.
"Got ya!" Renesmee laughed, and sat up on his stomach.
"You killed your own father? You're a monster!" Edward tried his best to sound hurt.
"But you tasted good!" Renesmee laughed.
"Tell mommy to dress up." Edward whispered into her ear. Her eyes lit up and she jumped off of Edward.
"You have to! What do you want to be? Be something really different!" Renesmee pulled at my arm.
"I thought I'd be a human." I joked.
"Too boring!" Renesmee thought for a minute. "Be a… hmm… be a devil!"
I thought about it for a minute and that would only mean I had to wear all red, so I figured it wouldn't be that bad. I had a red silk cocktail dress with red stilettos, and devil horns had to be in the old box of costumes that were put away.
"Ok, good idea." I kissed Renesmee's head and fluttered out of the room to go get dressed.
I was the last to get ready, which was a first. Usually it was Alice and Rosalie we were yelling at to hurry up. "Bella's a devil! That's awesome!" Emmett laughed. He walked around in a tight white tank top that was ripped. His shorts had holes in it as well.
"Emmett what are you?"
"A tough guy." He flexed his muscles.
I rolled my eyes.
Alice was in a tight full body leotard with black and brown spots all over it. Her face had painted on whiskers and cat ears on her head. Rosalie was in a skimpy showgirl outfit, and Jasper with no surprise was in a military uniform.
We posed as Esme snapped pictures before he had to leave for school.
"I think those outfits should be deemed illegal to wear out in public." Emmett said as him, Edward, and Jasper walked behind Rosalie, Alice and I towards the school.
"I agree." Edward and Jasper said at the same time. I could feel their eyes on our backs. I could feel a lot of eyes on our backs.
"Leave it to the Cullen girls to make Halloween into a sex show." One boy said as we walked by.
"She can be my devil." The other boy said.
"No I want the showgirl to do a little dance for me." Someone else said.
Edward growled and pulled me close to him. Emmett was on the opposite side of Rosalie, so Edward put his other arm around her.
"This is going to be a long day." Edward mumbled to himself.
"Why?" I asked as we walked into out first class.
"Because it's going to take every part of me not to rip apart ever boy in this school. You realize every single one of them have absurd thought about the 3 of you?" Edward growled when the teacher walked in. "Even the damn teachers!" He hissed too low for anyone to hear. I looked up at Mr. Brown to see him starring at me.
"Well first off Happy Halloween to everyone, glad to see most of you in the spirit." He said, his eyes never leaving my body. I slumped over in my chair, and Edward placed his hand on my back. Class started and I was happy the attention was off of me. There was plenty of girls that were walking around in almost nothing, so I didn't feel so bad.